Tasty Tales and Tips from a Culinary Traveler in Italy and France

May 2011

May 29, 2011

It's an awesome week at Italy on a Plate. I can tell summer and travel season has begun by the amount of posts and articles I've seen this week on Italian food and wine. For my top 10 Italian recipe picks, there's lighter fare; including an array of "finger foods" like Tuscan chicken liver pate, vegetable tarts, and an artichoke lemon pesto that I'd like to slather all over some crostini right now. I found two pasta dishes with vegetables of the season, and zucchine parmagiana (something I've been making myself since I fell in love with it in Naples.) Desserts include three classic Italian treats; Torta alla Nonna from Tuscany, Cassata al forno - different and easier than Cassata Siciliana, and a milk chocolate panna cotta.

Eating Italy is so full of great food and wine stories and information, I finally had to say, "Basta!" with the links. See how a pig becomes a porchetta panini, top pizzerie in Rome for eating pizza romana, Elizabeth chooses where she'd eat her end-of-the-world meal in Rome, wine and winery information from all over Italy, the history of a cake from Genoa, cooking classes in Sicily and Capri, a story about coffee in Naples, a food and wine train in Northern Italy and a fertility restaurant in Sicily! Enjoy it all and buon appetito!

My Choice for This Week's Top 10 Italian Food Recipes from Around the Web:

Barolo Night 2011 - July 23 - The town La Morra, in the Piedmont region, celebrates the king of wines - Barolo - with a progressive dinner in four locations, showcasing La Morra cuisine with a wine pairing.

Sagra della Porchetta di Arricia - September 4 - The town Arricia, near Rome, most famous for the roasted suckling pig starts porchetta celebrations on the first Sunday in Septmeber

Slow Food Cheese - September 16 to 19 - Bra, the home of the Slow Food Headquarters - An cheese festival that originally highlighted only local cheeses, now is an international affair celebrating artisanl cheesemaking - the site is still under construction

May 25, 2011

Porto Badisco, on the eastern coast of Salento and just south of Otranto, is certainly a place of beauty. Its cove is a haven for beach lovers. In the summer, the sandy shores along the inlet fill up with sun bathers, and swimmers and snorkelers dot its glimmering turquoise waters. This place is also one of myth and history. According to Virgil, Porto Badisco is the place where Italy's founder, Aeneas, first landed after fleeing Troy. Also nearby, a little past the cove, is the Grotta dei Cervi (Caves of the Deer) dating back to 4,000 B.C. In the caves are sketchings and drawings from the Neolithic Age and the first inhabitants of the area. Many of the sketches are of deer; hence the name. On a clear day looking out across the Adriatic Sea, one can see the shores of Greece and Albania.

Rug weaved to replicate the sketches from the Grotta dei Cervi

As it was March and not yet beach weather, we made a short visit to Porto Badisco, specifically for one of its delicacies. What do you eat when you're at Porto Badisco? Sea Urchins! Freshly caught in and around the inlet, these ricci di mare (their name in Italian) are the pride of the area. Locals brag that the ricci here are the tastiest among all the others in Italy. Their flavor is due to the particular combination of elements surrounding the coastline and those within the waters and along the cove. In the summer, people eat the urchins by the hundreds, buying them at the local market just south of the cove or diving for them. The edible parts are the colorful strips that line one side of the shell. Often called the roe, this orange flesh is actually the organ that produces the eggs, its sex glands, or its gonads.

Market in Porto Badisco where we bought sea urchins (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

There are several traditional ways to eat them, with pasta, slathered on bread alone or with provolone cheese, or with a small spoon to lift out the flesh. Everyone assured me that the best way to eat them, however, is without any help, but instead to lap up the flesh with my tongue. At first, I was a little apprehensive and a little worried my aim might not be that good. I timidly placed my tongue inside the urchin, fearing I would miss and hit the outer spines.

All went well, and they were right. By extracting the flesh out with my tongue, the flavors instantly hit me - a creaminess combined with the fresh and salty sea water. The flesh has the texture of panna cotta. It is creamy and a little gelatinous, and acted as a conduit, transporting and coating my mouth and tongue with the flavors of the urchin, the sea and a little of Porto Badisco. Fresh, salty, tangy and intense, the tastes tingled inside me, and I immediately craved another. No wonder people order hundreds of these at a time.

Join
me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be
cooking with our beautiful Italian mamme (and professional chefs). We'll also be eating and exploring our way through
the region. There are four tour dates available from which
to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013!

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

May 24, 2011

When I'm in Rome, my pizza of choice is pizza al taglio. Called pizza by the slice when translated, but that doesn't mean it's a triangular slice cut from the pizza pie. No, this pizza al taglio is a rectangle, or square, cut from a larger rectangular slab of pizza. Although its shape is similar to Ligurian focaccia, its texture is different - thinner and with a crisper crust. It's a staple in the Roman diet. Pizza bianca, the pizza with only a sprinkling of salt and olive oil, has been my go-to breakfast during various stays in Rome. This pizza also comes topped with tomato sauce (pizza rossa) and various other vegetables, and cheese. Rome has its version of the traditional round pizza, with a crust that is thin and crispy, but I prefer Roman pizza al taglio.

Mainly, I've eaten pizza al taglio as a light meal or snack. During my six-week stay in Rome a while ago, one of my favorite places for pizza al taglio was Il Forno in the Campo de' Fiori. After getting a slice, usually with eggplant or zucchini, I would sit along the benches at the nearby Palazzo Farnese, eat and people watch in the piazza.

Palazzo Farnese - my usual spot for snacking on pizza al taglio

Piazza Farnese and its Fountain

For my recent visit to Rome, I had planned on making a snack of Gabriele Bonci's pizza al taglio at Pizzarium, especially after seeing all the blog posts from his pizza and bread making classes. (All the links to these are on this Italy on a Plate post.) Because my trip to Rome was a too short two days, I enlisted the help of Roman bloggers and food lovers, Katie Parla, Elizabeth Minchilli, Tavole Romane, and Hande of VinoRoma, to help. I asked them if they had only four meals to eat in Rome, where would they choose. Unanimously, every one of them recommended Pizzarium, not for a snack, but for lunch.

I was convinced. My first day in Rome, I worked up an appetite by making a beeline from my hotel in Trastevere to Pizzarium, which is located across from the Cipro-Musei Vaticani Metro stop, and near the Vatican Museums. Although the price was at least double what I'm used to paying for pizza al taglio, Chef Bonci didn't disappoint. The pizza is a little thicker, and the outer crust is extra crunchy. Inside is full of holes of varying sizes, making it softer, airy, and a delicious contrast in texture against the crunchy crust. And then, there were the toppings - fresh, tasty and abundant.

Two Roman delicacies in one - Pizza al taglio and Roman artichokes

Pizza topped with prosciutto, eggplant and cheese

Pizza topped with taleggio, zucchini and sesame seeds

Chef Bonci is extremely generous with the toppings and the olive oil. Make sure you have plenty of napkins while eating; otherwise, your chin and hands will have a nice glow from the extra olive oil. The pizza topped with marinated Roman artichokes was TO DIE FOR. I loved it so much it's on the menu for my world-ending meal. Also a delicious combination was the salty prosciutto with eggplant and cheese. For me the taleggio was too strong a flavor, and made the mild flavor of the zuccnini disappear.

Just west of the Cipro-Musei Vaticani Metro exit, Pizzarium is a hole in the block of buildings on the small street. They have a few tables outside and a bar inside for you to stand and eat. There were at least 15 various toppings in the case when I was there. You choose what you'd like and the size. They charge by weight. The six squares for two people, shown above, were 27 euros. More production was going on in the back, and as new variations came out, they added them to the case.

Pizza al taglio is a treat not to be missed in Rome, and the pizza at Pizzarium is definitely worth a full lunch. I was so stuffed, I had to alter my lavish dinner plans for the evening. Plans for my next trip include trying other toppings and taking one of his classes.

Pizzarium - via della Meloria, 43 - Rome

For classes:

Tricolore in Rome offers various classes in Italian, including Gabriele Bonci's classes on pizza and bread - Here is the Tricolore Class Schedule

May 22, 2011

It's that time of the week, and welcome back (or welcome to) Italy on a Plate, my roundup of the week in Italian food from around the web. My picks for this week's recipes include fried treats from Italy, arancini (including photos and a video on assembling them), a special cheesey focaccia from Recco in Liguria, a rabbit dish from Ischia, instructions on the proper way to prepare Genovese pesto, some classic (and easy) recipes, and, of course, desserts - ricotta cheesecake and a strawberry & cream gelato.

Eating Italy has information on wines all over Italy along with a link to great tips about the upcoming Cantine Aperte. There is a report from a pizza bianca "smackdown" in Rome, along with more pizza in Rome, a beautiful video of an artisan Italian cheesemaker at work, market stops in Tuscany and Abruzzo, and a little bit about the history of gelato in Italy. Long list of upcoming festivals in Italy, including the giant Gelato Festival in Florence. Anyone going?

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

My Choice for This Week's Top 10 Italian Food Recipes from Around the Web:

Corniglia all' Ischitana di Filomena & Web in the City (Rabbit from the Island of Ischia) - To Celebrate the Wine & the City and Vitigno Italia festivals in Naples this week, Lydia participated in a "blog relay, publishing her Campania recipe, which was paired with one of the Campania wines on display at the festivals - She also provides links to all the recipes/blogs that participated in the relay - Tzatziki a Colazione (In Italian but the Google translator is available on the site)

The Making of Bagoss - A fantastic video of a truly artisan cheesemaker at work - Rubber Slippers in Italy

Gusto's Take on the Last Sunday in May: Cantine Aperte - Next Sunday wineries throughout Italy will be open to the public (normally you need to make an appointment in advance to visit) - Here are some great tips on enjoying the day wherever you may be in Italy, with specific information about Umbria - Gusto Wine Tours

Sapori - May 28 & 29 and June 2, 4 and 5 - In Fivizzano-Massa Carrara in Tuscany - A celebration of the wines and typical food products of the Lunigiana area of Tuscany (official site in Italian: Commune di Fivizzano)

Cantine Aperte - May 29 - Over 800 wineries throughout Italy will open their doors to visitors - For an explanation of how to find a winery in a specific area see Why Go Italy's post on the wine celebration

Le Strada della Mozzarella - May 27 to 30 - Paestum - Festival of Mozzarella di Bufala and also other wine and food of the Paestum area - Check the brochure for program details

Barolo Night 2011 - July 23 - The town La Morra, in the Piedmont region, celebrates the king of wines - Barolo - with a progressive dinner in four locations, showcasing La Morra cuisine with a wine pairing.

Sagra della Porchetta di Arricia - September 4 - The town Arricia, near Rome, most famous for the roasted suckling pig starts porchetta celebrations on the first Sunday in Septmeber

Slow Food Cheese - September 16 to 19 - Bra, the home of the Slow Food Headquarters - An cheese festival that originally highlighted only local cheeses, now is an international affair celebrating artisanl cheesemaking - the site is still under construction

May 21, 2011

I'm sure you've heard that today, Saturday, May 21, 2011, will be the end of the world, the Apocolypse, the Rapture, etc. Already knowing this, I still made a grave mistake last night. I forgot to take the Torta Setteveli, an extra I had made for my auntie's birthday party, from the freezer. It may have been my last meal on earth, and I left a delicious end-of-the-world chocolate dessert in the freezer. Oh Dio Mio!!!

I know, I know; how can I possibly call myself @foodloverkathy and not have elaborately planned my last meal? Well, last night while my Torta Setteveli was defrosting, I ate some so-so store-bought chocolate ice cream, on top of which I put some chopped chocolate and chocolate sauce (you know, just in case) and made my last meal plans. Here they are.

The antipasti -

Caponata: Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and I'm a sucker for agrodolce

Artichokes on top of pizza al taglio from Gabriele Bonci's Pizzarium in Rome

Since this last meal stuff is serious business and I'm far from a wine expert, maybe Jeremy, Hande and Joel would help out with wine selections? In the meantime, my choices for part of the meal, would be a few wines I still think about: the Albanegra from Cantine Menhir and one or two Barolo wines.

Location, location, location -

It is just as important for a last meal. As long as I'm along the shores of the blue Mediterrenean, I would be happy. It could be Sicily, Puglia, Campania. Although I thought about making it an all-Southern Italy request, I couldn't leave Liguria and my "happy place" off the list.

A long table overlooking one of these coastlines and surrounded by all the people I love, friends and family. Now that's my idea of an earth-ending meal. Much better than left over beef borguignon and some make-shift chocolate sundae, don't you think?

May 20, 2011

Spaccanapoli, the street that cuts Napoli's historic center in two. I had heard about this street before my first trip to Naples. While weaving my way in and out of the narrow cobblestone, sometimes crumbling, streets of the city's historic center (il centro storico) I couldn't believe that there was one street in this tangled web that actually stood out.

Then, Bonnie of Napoli Unplugged took me up to the Castel St. Elmo. From the castle walls, high above the maze of streets, I finally believed. From above, Spaccanapoli, does exactly what its name says.

The street is one of three east-to-west streets from Neapolis, the original Greco-Roman city. At Piazza Gesu' Nuovo, the tourist office states that Spaccanapoli "officially begins." Here it is called via Benedetto Croce. As you travel east, it changes to via San Biagio dei Librai. The street actually extends farther, both east and west, than the official confines.

During my visit last summer, Bonnie took me on a little of both her Saturday Strolls in the Centro Storico - Part 1 and Part 2. As Bonnie states, "A stroll through the centro storico is filled with many 'Oh my God' moments!" She was right. There were so many, that on my recent March visit, I returned again to wander along Spaccanapoli and the area. Below is a photo tour of some of my favorite places along this walk, and some of the interesting stories of the locales.

Cloister of Santa Chiara - Although Naples has the reputation for being a city of chaos, and in many cases lives up to it, one can find peace and tranquility in the many cloisters and churches throughout the city. The cloister of Santa Chiara, with its Majolica-tiled columns and benches is the best of those serene spots. Lush gardens, gorgeous and colorful art, and shade; I could sit here in utter silence all day.

Besides the cloister, the complex of Santa Chiara has a stunning presepe (nativity scene) and ruins of a Roman bath. The church is also full of history. Here, Bonnie beautifully shares a little of the history of the Church of Santa Chiara.

Via San Gregorio Armeno - The alley overflows with hand-crafted nativity scenes (presepi), statues of Pulcinella, traditional Neapolitan tamborines, and other trinkets. On a cool spring day or even in the oppressive heat of summer, you can feel a little Christmas spirit by walking along this alley (just off of via Benedetto Croce, to the left).

Along with the traditional hand-crafted items, they also have little statues of Napoli's soccer players. A Fabio Quagliarella statue, one of my favorite players from Italy's squad, is availble with his old Napoli jersey and one with a Juventus jersey (his new team). I was so tempted to get one or both, but opted for a more traditional Pulcinella instead.

Ruins beneath Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore - The basilica alone is worth a visit, but even more amazing are the ruins below. A Greek agora, then Roman forum, that dates back before Christ unfolds below the earth. We wandered without any crowds, or anyone else, among the ruins, imagining a time long ago.

Note: This is not part of the Naples underground tour, Napoli Sottoterranea, whose entrance is nearby in Piazza Gaetano.

This begs the question: A pizza oven from over 2000 years ago?

Duomo - The Duomo with no dome, I realized this while searching for this church from Castel St. Elmo. This church is also known as the church that holds the treasures of San Gennaro, Napoli's patron saint.

The main treasures are two vials of the blood of the martyred saint San Gennaro. The Feast of San Gennaro is on September 19th. Each year, and on the first Saturday in May, the city celebrates the liquifaction of the blood, an omen of good fortune for the city. If the blood doesn't liquify, that's not a good sign for Naples and possibly the rest of the world. After the two recent times in which the blood didn't liquify, bad things happened. In 1980, Naples had an tragic earthquake and in 1944, Mt. Vesuvius erupted. (I'm just reporting what I've been told and read. Plus, I would never want to suffer the wrath of a Neapolitan nonna's malocchio for ever questioning this miracle.)

Piazza San Domenico Maggiore - The piazza is home to one of the three "plague spires" in Napoli. The city began erecting the spires after the plague of 1656, as offerings for delivering the city from the plague. The other two spires (guglia in the singular form in Italian) are the Spire of San Gennaro and the spire in Piazza Gesu' Nuovo, both in and around Spaccanapoli.

Of course, I also found some things to eat. The centro storico is a haven for the Naples food lover. Many of the best pizzerie are in the centro storico. Friggitorie (Fry shops) abound, almost one after the other. There you can pick up any assortment of fried treats, fried pizza, arancini, fried vegetables, etc. My favorites are crocche' di patate (potato crochettes) and mozzarella in carozza (fried mozzarella in a bread "carriage"). Any food fest in the centro storico should end with something sweet, a few Neapolitan pastries. Scaturchio, the oldest pastry shop in Naples, is right on Spaccanapoli, in Piazza San Domenico Maggiore.

May 19, 2011

Masserie are traditional farmhouses, great white buildings popping up throughout Puglia's countryside. Built between the 14th and 18th centuries, they were fortified with high exterior walls to protect the inhabitants from Turk and pirate invasions. Made with the stone of the area, these massive white structures contrast against the verdant olive groves, blue Salentine sky and gentle roll of the land. The masserie were communal living quarters for the farmworkers and their families. Inside the walls, it feels like a little city. Most masserie have a grand courtyard, spacious communal rooms, stables, a storehouse, a tower and a chapel. The farmworkers usually lived on the ground floor and the owners lived above.

In recent years, many of the masserie, those abandoned in the early 20th century, have been restored. The restored masserie (plural for the singular masseria) that get the most attention are those that have been renovated and made into luxurious hotels or the smaller ones, now both boutique and rustic bed and breakfasts. Others have been restored to their original working state and are again producing wines, cheese, olive oil, produce, wheat, or a combination of these. Many of these working masserie will give guided tours and tastings of their products, provided you call and make an appointment first.

After my morning of cheesemaking at Azienda Padulano, we visited L'Astore Masseria. L'Astore Masseria has been in the Benegiamo - Di Summa family since the 1930s. It was one of the first masserie to be restored, and in the 1990s, they reinitiated wine production on the facilities. Currently they produce wines and olive oil. Paul Benegiamo and his wife Claudia invited us into their home on the masseria, for lunch with L'Astore wines, and a tour of the grounds.

The garden, vineyards and olive groves on the masseria grounds

Olive groves and the muretti secchi

Atop the chapel are the bells and cross - Looking out from the terrace

Inside the chapel, preparing for Sunday Mass

We also visited the ancient frantoio ipogeo below the masseria grounds. A frantoio ipogeo is an ancient underground olive oil mill. It was built below the ground, or I should say, carved out of the stone that lay beneath the soil. This one was built in the 1700s. Just as olive groves are a main part of the Salentine landscape, frantoio ipogei are as ubiquitous underground. They told me that the majority of masserie in the area also have a frantoio ipogeo.

I'm not sure what made my mouth stay agape more as I walked through the frantoio, the genius of it or the madness of it. Through holes in the the ground, the farmworkers would drop the freshly picked olives, which were stored in a room, a separate room for each type. (The Salento region has twelve different types of olive trees.) From there all the work in turning the olives into olive oil would be done by the workers and animals. Everything was overseen by the nachiro, the "captain" of the underground mill. All, animals and workers, lived together underground during the entire olive oil-making season! Puglia is known for its pungent olive oils; now we may know why.

Millstone operated by mules

Entrance to the underground frantoio ipogeo - The animal's stalls

Rooms into which olives were dropped from above - An antique oil press

Next to the frantoio ipogeo, the Benegiamo family built their underground wine cellar to store the barreled wines. Along with the two big names in Salento grape varietals, Negroamaro and Primitivo, L'Astore also grows Petit Verdot, Aglianico, Merlot, Montepulciano, Syrah, Chardonnay and Malvasia Bianca.

Modern wine cellar beside the Medieval Frantoio Ipogeo

In the welcoming Salento way, a visit always includes a meal. All of us gathered in the kitchen to prepare it. I was even able to get another pasta-making lesson. This time we made orecchiette and minchiareddhri - together known as i maritati (recipe and history of the dish will be another post).

Before and with lunch, we had some of the wines from L'Astore. While working in the kitchen and tasting freshly fried polpette, we drank their rosato wine, Massaro Rosa, a rose' made with Negroamaro grapes and named for the massaro. The massaro was the working manager of the masseria. We drank a white with our first course, the cheese from Azienda Padulano. With the pasta and polpette, we drank the Filimei. Filimei, made with negroamaro grapes, is Salento dialect for figli miei (my children). Each name of a L'Astore wine has a special meaning, honoring the land or the wine-making traditions in Salento.

Of course it would be nice to stay in a masseria that has been restored into a 5-star hotel and newly equipped with a spa, pool, and wine bar; some even have golf courses. For me it was even more of a thrill to see a working masseria, visit the ancient and well-preserved olive oil mill, sample the fruits of L'Astore's labor and make and eat lunch within the restored walls of the old farmhouse.

Join
me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be
cooking with our beautiful Italian mamme
and professional chefs and also eating and exploring our way through
the region. There are four tour dates available from which
to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013!

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

May 15, 2011

Mid May at Italy on a Plate, and artichokes are a big part of my choice for this week's top ten recipes....along with many other spring vegetables. In Eating Italy, there's a birthday bash going on at Tavole Romane. (Happy birthday!!) To celebrate, they have a contest. Also in Eating Italy, there is a report from Vinitaly in Verona, more information about where to eat in Rome for a last supper or any meal, love for Sicily and its food, a food lesson in Lucca, more on the wines of Piedmont, and a chocolate-lover's dessert from Calabria. Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

My Choice for This Week's Top 10 Italian Food Recipes from Around the Web:

Tavole Romane Celebrates its Birthday with a Contest - Happy birthday to one of my favorite blogs from Rome - A review, mouth-watering food photos and a contest for food in Rome - Tavole Romane (Contest details are in English - you can enter the contest in English - and there is a translator for the review)

SiciliAMO: I Love Sicily - After a great story about Judy fending off one of those pesky purse-snatching vespa thieves ("Judy 1 - Palermo thief 0"), she takes us on an antipasti & seafood photo tour at Zia Pina's in Palermo - Over a Tuscan Stove

Festa della Focaccia di Recco - May 22 - Recco near Genova celebrates its famous focaccia with formaggio (note: they have not yet updated their program to the 2011 version on the website, but the date for this year is Sunday, May 22)

Cantine Aperte - May 29 - Over 800 wineries throughout Italy will open their doors to visitors - For an explanation of how to find a winery in a specific area see Why Go Italy's post on the wine celebration

Le Strada della Mozzarella - May 27 to 30 - Paestum - Festival of Mozzarella di Bufala and also other wine and food of the Paestum area - Check the brochure for program details

Barolo Night 2011 - July 23 - The town La Morra, in the Piedmont region, celebrates the king of wines - Barolo - with a progressive dinner in four locations, showcasing La Morra cuisine with a wine pairing.

Sagra della Porchetta di Arricia - September 4 - The town Arricia, near Rome, most famous for the roasted suckling pig starts porchetta celebrations on the first Sunday in Septmeber

Slow Food Cheese - September 16 to 19 - Bra, the home of the Slow Food Headquarters - An cheese festival that originally highlighted only local cheeses, now is an international affair celebrating artisanl cheesemaking - the site is still under construction

May 11, 2011

Many of the dishes I tasted while in Salento were centuries-old dishes, passed down from family to family, and plated in a rustic and casual fashion. At Bar Sette di Sette in Lecce, the same traditional Salentino cuisine gets a makeover. Here it's dressed up to complement the modern and upscale feel of the bar.

The interior is sleek with black, glass and silver as prominent colors. The staff is also dressed in all black. Here you would never think that Lecce's Baroque city center is just a few hundred meters away. Happy hour, where cocktails and aperitivi are served with a buffet of snacks, is popular throughout Italy, especially in the hot summer months. Bar Sette di Sette adds a bit of Salento flair to its array of finger foods.

In the upstairs kitchen, chef Paola Paiano adds some modern touches and plating to the traditional regional cuisine. In a similar way to the decor of the bar, one would never guess that this elegantly-plated fare was born from peasants and farmers. I was able to go into the kitchen and watch chef Paola at work. She even gave me a few of her reinvented Salentino recipes.

Take a look at some of the food I saw, and tasted.

Barley "risotto" with shrimp and arugula pesto - Chef Paola takes two classics of the region, seafood "risotto" made with barley and arugula pesto, and combines them. One key to Paola's dish, besides the addition of the arugula pesto, is a rich bisque she adds to the barley along with stock. Jeremy at DoBianchi challenged me to find out its official Italian name, but I have yet to find it. Until I do, I call it barley risotto. As barley is called "orzo" in Italian, maybe it's simply "orzotto?"

Fava Been Puree with Chicory (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

Fava bean puree with chicory is one of the trademark dishes of Salento. Bitter wild chicory of the region balances with the slightly sweet and very creamy puree. The dish is finished with crostini and Pugliese olive oil. Paola stuck to the traditonal recipe here, giving it a little more style by placing it in a champagne glass.

Potato crochettes (crochette di patate) - This might be my favorite finger food in all the south of Italy. (Well, this and arancini). Their size is a little longer than those in Naples. Paola adds only parsley and olive oil to the mashed potatoes and fries them without a bread crumb coating.

Polpettine and Pinzimonio - Pinzimonio and these little fried meatballs were also snacks on offer. Pinzimonio technically are raw vegetables in a salsa, but each time someone referred to pinzimonio, they seemed only to be referring to the salsa. You eat pinzimonio at the end of the meal, before the dessert, as a sort of digestive. Here carrots and fennel sat in a basic vinaigrette.

Shrimp with cannellini beans in a shrimp bisque - Yet another great dish, Paola uses beans, another Salento staple, and pairs them with some of the shirmp bisque from the "orzotto," adding shrimp to the top.

Stylish version of Caprese Salad (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

Along with the Salento cuisine, there was also typical bar fare, you know the salty & crunchy kind that makes you want to drink more cocktails. These included Paola's version of chicken nuggets, called pollo ai ceriali in Italian (chicken with cereal) and potato chips dusted with paprika.

Lucio, the man behind the bar, was just as creative making dangerously delicious and oh so pretty cocktails. His specialty is the orange drink with all the fruit. I think it's called a lucido, the opposite of what would happen if you drank too many.

Claudia writing the recipes (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

Each dish I tasted was terrific, stylishly plated, full of flavor and from simple cuisine. And, yes, I came home with a few of Chef Paola's recipes!

Join
me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be
cooking with our beautiful Italian mamme
and professional chefs and also be eating and exploring our way through
the region. There are four tour dates available from which
to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013!

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

May 09, 2011

“Keep stirring until the dough forms a ball,” the French chef explained during our basic class on pâte a choux. This statement, the same my mom always used while teaching me, transported me through time to the first time I made éclairs.

I was perched on a stool eyes glued to the saucepan. My mom stirred the éclair dough, while explaining the procedure. Her thin but deft arms swirling like helicopter blades mixing the dough into a ball. After that she handed the pan over to me and let me stir in the eggs, one at a time. I was eager to do anything to be involved in making éclairs, even something as simple as stirring. My mom would make cream puffs or éclairs only for Easter and Christmas. I, ever the chocoholic, pleaded each year for her to make éclairs instead of the cream puffs, whining, “But mommmm, there’s no chocolate in cream puffs.” To me, the cream puff was the ugly stepsister, and I wanted Cinderella, the éclair with chocolate.

After I stirred in the eggs, she took back the saucepan and used two spoons to form lumpy mounds onto the baking sheet. I took about 30 minutes to make two mounds. I started the second over and over again to make them exactly the same. My mom just shook her head and laughed, “We don’t have all day to make them perfect.” How a piping bag would have helped, but we never had kitchen “gadgets” to make things prettier and easier. Instead flatware was our baking equipment; spoons took the place of piping bags, butter knives were offset spatulas, forks were pastry cutters and crimpers. “Gadgets,” she’d sneer, “are for people who don’t really bake.” My guess is that we really didn’t have the extra money for gadgets, and she improvised with what we had.

After the éclairs baked for the first 25 minutes, she used a wooden spoon to jar the oven door open and let the steam exit. Instead of fondant and chocolate pastry cream, we used melted chocolate chips for the icing and made out-of-the-box pudding for the filling. To fill the éclairs, she cut them in half, sacrilege to the French pastry chef. With a butter knife, she plopped the melted chocolate chips onto the éclair top, and flicked her wrist once to spread it, one éclair after the other, not paying attention to any of the chocolate dripping from the sides.

As she spread, I used a paper towel to wipe away the drippings and any smears. She let me help with the pudding, and I carefully filled each éclair trying to make sure no pudding ran off the sides. Again, she shook her head and mumbled my nickname, “piddicusa,” (Sicilian dialect for the Italian term, pignola – meaning excessively fussy). My mom didn’t have time to be piddicusa. She had three holy terrors adorable kids, a tight budget, and even tighter amount of time to spend worrying about chocolate dripping from the side of éclairs.

We made about 20 éclairs, not all the same length, with ragged and uneven tops, resembling mountain ranges. They were not the perfect little cylinders exquisitely coiffed with fondant that you see in Parisian patisseries but they were good. I was so proud of my first endeavor into French pastry, looking upon them like a mother swan admiring the potential of her baby ducklings. My mom packed them into her Tupperware and carted them off to my Aunt Rosalie’s, where I displayed them on a crystal platter with paper doilies underneath. Now my aunt, who has never baked once in her life, had all the “gadgets.”

Somewhere in the background, I heard someone ask, “Kathy, what’s wrong?” Suddenly, I was back in the present, in class in Paris, and the chef was piping one clone after another onto the parchment-lined sheet tray. Each strip of dough was exactly 12 mm in width and 4 inches in length. I blinked away the tears and wiped them from my cheek, responding “Nothing, I'm just happy to be learning how to make éclairs.”

As many of you who follow this blog know, my mom passed away almost 8 years ago. She is still a huge part of my food-loving life. She wasn’t a professional like her father, from whom she learned to bake. After arriving in the U.S. from Italy, he had a bakery in New York. (I wonder if he used “gadgets”?) She did make delicious and simple baked goods that people still remember and talk about today. Even though I can make fancy French pastries, I’m constantly asked by my family, and long-time friends, to replicate her pies, cakes, cookies, and cream puffs (only I loved the éclairs more). Although I use more of the professional techniques, even gadgets, than my mom did, I hear my mom every time I stir the flour into the milk mixture "until it forms a ball."

I do enjoy sampling the many varieties of pastries in France, but the chocolate eclair is still my favorite. When I make them and when I eat them, I think of my mom. I share this story and the recipe in honor of her. The technique for making these is what I learned in France, but the icing on this recipe, a ganache one, is closer to my mom's version than the one of fondant that you'll find in French patisseries.

Join
me in Provence in 2013 for a French Pastry Culinary Vacation and learn how to
create these and other classic French pastries! Details here: Pastry-Making Vacation in Provence

In a sauce pot, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil. Keep the mixture on the heat until it has expanded and then fallen. Remove from the heat, and pour the flour in all at once. Stir vigorously until the mixture becomes a ball. Place back over medium-low heat and continue stirring about 10 minutes to dry out the dough. Remove from the heat and stir until you no longer see steam rising from the dough. Place the dough in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment (or you can do this by hand), and stir in one egg at a time. With the electric mixer or by hand, the dough will break up into pieces and come back together as you incorporate each egg. After the fourth egg, lift the dough up with the spoon or paddle attachment to test if it's ready. As you lift it, it should come to a point, stay for a few seconds, then fall back on itself. If it doesn't fall, add the fifth egg, or part of it.

Using a pastry bag and round tip, 12 mm or 1/2-inch in diameter, pipe out cylindars 4 1/2 inches long onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave 2 inches between each eclair you pipe. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 F and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Turn off the heat and open the oven to keep the door ajar (yes, you can use a wooden spoon to do this, if necessary). Let the eclairs dry out for 20 minutes more with the oven off.

For the chocolate pastry cream:

3 1/4 cup (750 ml) whole milk

1 cup (185 g) granulated sugar, divided in half

8 egg yolks

1/3 cup (65 g) cornstarch

9 ounces (300 g) quality dark chocolate, 70% cacao, melted

Bring the milk and half the sugar to a boil. As the milk is heating, whisk together the othr half of the sugar and the egg yolks until the mixture is combined and has lightened in color. Whisk in the cornstarch. Once the milk boils, slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the entire time, until you have added all the milk into the egg yolks. Pour the mixture back into the sauce pot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Once the mixture boils, keep over the heat for about 30 seconds more, whisking continuously. Remove from the heat and pass through a fine mesh seive into a bowl. Add the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate has been combined into the pastry cream. Place the mixture over an ice bath and let cool for 10 minutes. Spread the mixture into a 13x9-inch glass dish and cover with platic wrap (the plastic wrap should be touching the pastry cream, so a film doesn't form). Refrigerate until the pastry cream is cold.

For the chocolate ganache icing:

2/3 cup (150 ml) heavy cream

4 1/2 ounces (150 g) dark couverture chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. In a sauce pot, heat the cream just until it's scalding (little bubbles appear around the rim). Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture rest for a minute, then slowly whisk together. To create a smooth ganache, place the whisk in the center of the mixture and whisk in a small, slow, circular motion until the chocolate and cream combine. Break the butter into four pieces and place on top of the mixture. Once the butter melts, slowly stir it in with the whisk. Let the ganache cool and thicken just to the point that it will not run when you frost the eclairs, about 90 F.

To assemble the eclairs:

The eclairs should be completely cooled, and the pastry cream should be cold before assembling. It is best to assemble the eclairs 1-2 hours before serving. Using a star tip about 1/4 inch in diameter, poke three holes in the bottom of each eclair.

Fill a pastry bag with a round pastry tip that is 1/4-inch in diameter. Fill each eclair by piping the pastry cream into the holes you've just made in the bottom of the eclairs. Continue piping until the cream starts to run out from each of the holes. (This will ensure that you have a nicely filled eclair.) Wipe away the excess pastry cream with a spatula.

To ice the eclairs, the ganache should be just at the point where it won't run, about 90 F. The ganache should also be in a bowl that it at least as wide as each eclair. Gently and lightly lay the top portion of the eclair into the ganache, stopping right when the eclair has just touched the ganache. Pull the eclair back up and run an arched finer over the top's center to smooth out the icing. You should only have excess at one end of the eclair. At that end run your index finger around the edge to wipe of the excess. Do the same for each eclair.

Refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!

A Few Notes:

Like my mom, you can use chocolate pudding mix, but once you've tasted chocolate pastry cream, you'll never go back to the box stuff.

When making ganache, I wouldn't recommend using chocolate chips for cookies. They have a wax in them so they will keep their shape in the heat, exactly the opposite of what you want when making ganache. A high quality couverture chocolate will not only taste better, but also give you the shine you want on the topping.

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What is one of your most memorable cooking or eating moments with your mom?